The present invention relates to a cover assembly for a vehicle bed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cover assembly for a vehicle bed that is selectively moveable along the vehicle bed.
Cover assemblies for vehicle beds are well known in the art. Examples of cover assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,563,034, 4,289,346, and 4,285,539.
The present invention provides improvements over known cover assemblies.
One aspect of the invention relates to an improved mechanism for controlling movement of the cover. This aspect of the invention provides a cover assembly for a vehicle bed having front and rear end walls, first and second side walls between the front and rear end walls, and a floor. The first and second side walls, the front and rear end walls, and the floor define an interior space therebetween. The cover assembly includes first and second elongated track members, a plurality of transverse support members, a flexible cover, and a reversible motor.
The first track member is mountable to the first side wall and the second track member is mountable to the second side wall. Each of the plurality of support members have first and second end portions. The first end portions are mountable on the first track member and the second end portions are mountable on the second track member to enable the support members to be moved in opposing opening and closing directions along the first and second track members, respectively. The flexible cover is secured to each of the plurality of transverse support members. The support members are movably arranged on the first and second track members such that (1) movement of a distal one of the support members in the opening direction causes the distal support member to push each of the other support members in a sequential manner in the opening direction and hence sequentially collapses the cover secured thereto, thereby facilitating access to the interior space of the vehicle bed, and (2) movement of the distal support member in the closing direction causes the distal support member to pull the other support members in a sequential manner in the closing direction and hence sequentially moves the cover secured thereto into covering relation to the interior space of the vehicle bed, thereby inhibiting access to the interior space of the vehicle bed.
A gear is operatively connected to the motor, the motor being activatable to rotate the gear in opposing rotational directions. A drive cable conduit extends longitudinally along the first elongated track member. The drive cable conduit has a longitudinally extending slot. A flexible drive cable is received within the conduit and has a distal end portion connected to the distal one of the support members through the longitudinally extending slot to enable movement of the cable within the conduit to move the distal support member in the opening and closing directions. The cable is engaged with the gear in intermeshed relation such that (a) rotation of the gear by the motor in a first rotational direction pushes the cable in a distal direction within the conduit to push the distal support member in the closing direction and (b) rotation of the gear in a second rotation direction pulls the cable in a proximal direction within the conduit to pull the distal support member in the opening direction.
Another aspect of the invention relates to an improvement for providing more orderly folding of the cover assembly""s flexible cover. In this aspect of the invention, the cover assembly includes a plurality of fold initiating mechanisms mounted between each pair of adjacent support members. Each of the fold initiating mechanisms has a portion that engages an adjacent portion of the cover between an associated pair of adjacent support members so as to initiate folding of the adjacent portion in a predetermined direction as one of the associated pair of adjacent support members is being moved towards the other of the associated pair in the opening direction.
Yet another aspect of the invention relates to an improvement for compensating for any stretching out of the flexible cover over time, which causes the cover to lose tension. In this aspect of the invention, the cover assembly includes a cover tensioner secured to a proximal end of the cover opposite the distal support member. The cover tensioner includes a biasing member constructed and arranged to apply a tensioning force to the cover in a direction away from the distal support member to thereby maintain tension in the cover.
Still another aspect of the invention relates to an improvement for retaining the cover in tension when the cover is in the fully closed position. In this aspect of the invention, the distal support member is adjacent the rear end wall when the cover is in a fully closed position. The distal support member provides a load transmitting surface and the first and second track members providing a load bearing surface that is engagable with the load transmitting surface. The load bearing and transmitting surfaces are positioned and configured such that when the distal support member is in the fully closed position the load transmitting surface engages the load bearing surface so that a tension force applied in the opening direction to the distal support member by the cover is transmitted to and borne by the load bearing surfaces of the track members thereby preventing the distal support member from movement in the opening direction.
Other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of this invention.